Cultivating a Movement: Excerpts from an Oral History of Organic Farming and Sustainable Agriculture on California’s Central Coast [Book Review]

Authors

Charles A. Francis, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2012

Citation

Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (2012) 28(1): 97–98

doi: 10.1017/S1742170511000627

Comments

Copyright © 2012, Cambridge University Press. Used by permission

Abstract

Edited by I. Reti and S. Rabkin, 2011. University of California, Santa Cruz, Library, Santa Cruz, California, United States. 299 p., US$19.95, ISBN 9-780972-33431, paper.

Often the most compelling evidence for success of organic farming comes from the personal stories of farmers. Coupled with reports on the application of science in organics, the practical knowledge of people in the field provides a rich foundation for the ongoing growth of this intriguing sector of the food system. This collection of interviews by the staff of the Regional History Project is one unique activity of the University of California, Santa Cruz library, and a valuable contribution to the literature on organic systems. In stark contrast to the industrial, large-scale monocultures that dominate the agricultural scene in California, ‘tucked away along rivers, bluffs and canyons, and even within city limits, another, alternative agricultural landscape is emerging. The land tells this story through the voices of those who farm the soil and devote their lives to the sustainable agriculture and organic farming movement’ (from the introduction by Congressman Sam Farr, D-CA). An unlikely complement to the high-tech production and global marketing systems, the organic food business continues to be the fastest-growing component of the food industry. With focus on local production and direct sales to consumers, organic farmers often put high value in ‘relationship marketing.’ As the stories from these interviews reveal, the crops, systems and sales strategies are as varied and creative as the farmers who designed them. This diversity is reflected in the crops grown, the crop/ animal systems and interactions, and the long-term plans of owners.